Question 1

Who is credited with the discovery of classical conditioning?

Accepted Answer

A)  John B. Watson 
B)  Ivan Pavlov 
C)  B. F. Skinner 
D)  Edward L. Thorndike

Question 2

Which rat would show the most rapid extinction of lever pressing?

Accepted Answer

A)  one trained with a VR 10 schedule of reinforcement 
B)  one trained with a VR 5 schedule of reinforcement 
C)  one trained with a FR 12 schedule of reinforcement 
D)  one trained with continuous reinforcement

Question 3

Which of the following is the best example of one of the simplest forms of learning, called habituation?

Accepted Answer

A)  You see something you've never seen before and immediately orient toward it. 
B)  After watching a lot of violent TV, the violence depicted bothers you less and less. 
C)  You work near a stove, accidentally touch a hot burner, and then make the connection: Stoves are hot. 
D)  If you are involved in a well-rehearsed task, such as washing the dishes, you go through the same steps each time you perform the task.

Question 4

What is the main effect of long-term potentiation (LTP)?

Accepted Answer

A)  LTP decreases sensitivity of the postsynaptic neuron in response to repeated stimulation. 
B)  LTP increases sensitivity of the postsynaptic neuron in response to repeated stimulation. 
C)  LTP stimulates sympathetic activation. 
D)  LTP stimulates parasympathetic activation.

Question 5

The best definition of a reinforcer is __________.

Accepted Answer

A)  a neutral stimulus 
B)  anything an animal will work to obtain 
C)  anything that is biologically significant 
D)  anything that captures an animal's attention

Question 6

Seamus, a golden retriever, tries to get into the garbage but accidentally sets off an alarm the owners have put into the garbage can. Seamus is scared, and now avoids the garbage can. The other golden retriever, Lilly, observed this incident and also avoids the garbage can. Lilly appears to have learned to avoid the garbage can through __________.

Accepted Answer

A)  insight learning 
B)  vicarious conditioning 
C)  shaping 
D)  classical conditioning

Question 7

What phenomenon is a rat most likely to exhibit when he is initially rewarded for lever pressing in one operant box, but then is moved to a new, but highly similar, operant box?

Accepted Answer

A)  generalization behavior 
B)  intrinsic motivation 
C)  insight learning 
D)  behavioral contrast

Question 8

Which of the following is an aspect of neural plasticity that allows learning to occur?

Accepted Answer

A)  the formation of synapses 
B)  changes in neuronal sensitivity to stimulation 
C)  changes in synaptic function 
D)  all of the above

Question 9

According to research on intrinsic motivation, what happens when experimenters reward behavior that was, initially, its own reward (that is, performed in the absence of external incentive)?

Accepted Answer

A)  Interest in the behavior increased. 
B)  Interest in the behavior decreased. 
C)  The behavior generalized to similar behaviors. 
D)  Both a and c are correct answers.

Question 10

A puff of air against an open eye causes the eye to blink reflexively. In this instance, the puff of air is an example of a(n) __________.

Accepted Answer

A)  conditioned stimulus 
B)  unconditioned stimulus 
C)  reinforcer 
D)  neutral stimulus

Question 11

What was the reaction of the children who observed the adult punch the inflated doll in Bandura's study?

Accepted Answer

A)  They showed highly similar aggressive behaviors to the adults they observed. 
B)  They showed aggressive behaviors, but these aggressive behaviors were much different from those observed in the adults. 
C)  They showed less aggression than those children who did not observe the adults hitting the inflatable doll. 
D)  They were nice to the doll and tried to console it.

Question 12

What is an object or event called that elicits a response without prior learning?

Accepted Answer

A)  an unconditioned response 
B)  a conditioned response 
C)  an unconditioned stimulus 
D)  a conditioned stimulus

Question 13

What structural changes occur in the neurons as a result of learning?

Accepted Answer

A)  The neurons develop additional sodium ion gates to allow for faster action potentials. 
B)  The neurons develop additional Nodes of Ranvier and more myelination. 
C)  The axon terminals of presynaptic neurons grow new dendritic spines. 
D)  The dendrites of postsynaptic neurons grow new dendritic spines.

Question 14

An infant presented with the same visual stimulus over and over again will eventually lose interest in it, not responding with the same degree of curiosity as he did initially. This gradual drop-off in responding has been called __________.

Accepted Answer

A)  the learning curve 
B)  the law of effect 
C)  habituation 
D)  stimulus generalization

Question 15

Which of the following is false regarding long-term potentiation (LTP)?

Accepted Answer

A)  LTP is long term because the neuronal effect can last several days or even weeks. 
B)  LTP involves increased sensitivity of the presynaptic neuron. 
C)  LTP is an activity-dependent event, so that potentiation spreads when nearby neuronal events occur simultaneously. 
D)  LTP occurs when the responsiveness of a postsynaptic neuron is increased as a function of environmental events.

Question 16

__________ occurs when one fails to respond to stimuli that have become familiar due to repeated exposure.

Accepted Answer

A)  Acclimation 
B)  Assimilation 
C)  Response control 
D)  Habituation

Question 17

When you gamble, there is no way to tell which of your many responses will bring a reward. Gambling, therefore, is an example of __________.

Accepted Answer

A)  a variable-ratio reinforcement schedule 
B)  a fixed-ratio reinforcement schedule 
C)  a variable-interval reinforcement schedule 
D)  a fixed-interval reinforcement schedule

Question 18

What do many researchers believe to be true of long-term potentiation (LTP)?

Accepted Answer

A)  LTP may be the mechanism responsible for long-lasting depression. 
B)  LTP may be responsible for biological constraints on learning. 
C)  LTP may serve as the neural basis for motor response. 
D)  LTP may serve as the neural basis for learning.

Question 19

In a hypothetical study, laboratory rats are always fed in a black box, never in a white box. They are then placed in a T-maze, one side of which contains a black box, the other side a white box. Neither box contains food, but even so, the rats will run to the black box. According to B. F. Skinner, what can be assumed?

Accepted Answer

A)  The black box serves as a primary reinforcer. 
B)  The white box serves as a primary reinforcer. 
C)  The black box serves as a conditioned reinforcer. 
D)  The white box serves as a conditioned reinforcer.

Question 20

An obvious benefit of habituation is that __________.

Accepted Answer

A)  it narrows the range of stimuli that elicit alarm 
B)  it guarantees that we will respond to novel inputs 
C)  it leads to enduring brain changes in the hippocampus 
D)  both a and b

Exam 7: Learning